Good journalists don’t stop asking questions until they’ve arrived at the truth. It may drive them down dangerous paths and put them in harm’s way; but in the end the truth is found, and the story told.

In the first article, Lois Lane meticulously tracked down leads until she found the identity behind the Man of Steel. And the inklings of Clark Kent’s investigative abilities led him to discover who he was.

In order to stay close to the people he is trying to save, Clark chose a cover job which will allow him to get close to dangerous situations and protect the helpless. So he went to Metropolis to get a job as a journalist at one of the most recognized newspapers. And Lois Lane was there to welcome him to the Planet.

Lois Lane, welcoming Clark Kent to The Planet at the end of Man of Steel

In Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Ultimate Edition, the characters track down two main leads. Lois tracks down the maker of a bullet; and Clark chases down The Bat of Gotham.

Both stories begin in the desert, where the Republic of Nairomi is in the midst of a civil war. Lois Lane was there to interview the General of the insurgent faction, and Superman soon follows suit to rescue her when the compound gets attacked.

Lois Lane seeks answers in the desert.

During the attack, Lois’s journal gets shot by a stray bullet. When Lois discovers the bullet embedded in her journal, she instantly knows something is different about it. So she does what any investigative journalist would do, she searches for answers. For her, the bullet is the key to answering who really was behind the attack that was blamed on Superman.

Clark is following the story of Kahina Ziri, the woman whose family was allegedly killed in the Nairomi attack. She testified as such against Superman during the first congressional hearing scene. Though Clark never gets to speak with her, what she said during an interview struck him. She wants to ask Superman how he determines whose lives count and whose do not. That question drives Clark to Gotham in order to seek answers.

Lois has the bullet, but what she doesn’t have is an answer to who staged the attack. So she begins with investigating who manufactured the bullet. If she can find who manufactured it, she can find out who they sold it to and why. All she can find out from the “boys in the crime lab” is it isn’t sold commercially. That’s enough to pique her interest and get Daily Planet Editor Perry White’s permission to travel to D.C. and see if she can find answers.

Lois Lane seeks the help of S.T.A.A.R. Labs scientist Jenet Klyburn in determining who manufactured the mystery bullet.

While Lois is in D.C., Clark boards a ferry to Gotham in search of Ziri. He knocks on her door but she’s nowhere to be found. And her neighbors say they haven’t seen her there for some time. But the investigative trip is not a waste. Clark first hears talk of a Bat terrorizing Gotham with a new meanness in him the likes Gotham has never seen.

Clark Kent goes looking for the woman who testified against Superman. He’s warned to be careful while in The Batman’s territory.

In the DCEU, Batman has turned cruel. By the time the Man of Steel shows up on the scene, Bruce Wayne has donned the cape and cowl 20 years. And for 20 years he’s protected Gotham, with nothing to show for it but a death in the family. He brands people. He kills people. The audience isn’t told when he crossed the line of his no-kill rule – but he did. And he is brutal. It is that brutality which catches the investigative eyes of Clark.

Clark Kent is determined to write about the injustices committed by the Batman against citizens of Gotham, to the dismay of Daily Planet Editor Perry White.

Clark, still moved by Ziri’s question, makes it his point to go after the Bat of Gotham in order to show the poor of Gotham – who Clark sees Batman as targeting – that the Daily Planet will give them a voice. After covering a mandatory Metropolis Public Library Fundraising event, and a tense exchange with Bruce Wayne over the merits of superheroes, Clark’s first line of investigating after researching the Bat’s brutal administration of justice is to question the latest criminal who fell victim to Batman’s bat-branding.

Meanwhile, Lois seeks out Lt. General Calvin Swanwick, who now serves as Secretary of State. After their less-than-pleasant reuniting after the events of Man of Steel, Lois talks Swanwick into doing some digging in order to find information on the bullet. What he tells her is disturbing. Lexcorp was using the civil war in Nairomi in order to test new prototype bullets. And, more importantly, she begins to understand that Lex may know the identity of Superman.

Secretary of State Calvin Swanwick reveals to Lois Lane it was Lexcorp who manufactured the bullet she found in Nairomi.

In Gotham, Clark continues his investigation into Batman, despite continued orders agaisnt doing such by Perry White. But by the time he reaches the Gotham prison, he is told Cesar Santos, the man Batman branded near the beginning of the film, is yet another victim of the bat-branding justice. Clark knows he won’t get much else from them when he sees a political cartoon which shows the GPD approve of the Bat’s new mode of justice. He is, however, tipped by one of the officers in the direction of Santos’ girlfriend. He wants her story told. He wants Batman held accountable for his actions. The girlfriend agrees he needs to be held accountable. But she knows words won’t stop a man like the Batman, “only fists” will stop him. He decides enough is enough. Clark’s investigation ends, and Superman’s confrontation with Batman begins.

Superman confronts Batman and tells him never to don the suit again.

Then the catastrophic happens. The wheelchair of the man who came to testify against Superman, Warren Keefe, explodes during the senate hearing on Superman. Hundreds die, and the media is left asking, “is Superman to blame for the bombing?” Lois knows better. She uses her contacts to get her into Keefe’s apartment, where she discovers he was the patsy. He just bought groceries. He wasn’t planning on dying that day. Lois then discovers through Klyburn that Keefe’s wheelchair had been lined with lead. This was yet another attempt from Luthor to blame on Superman. Armed with this information, Lois is ready to confront him through the written word on the front page of The Daily Planet. Only, it’s too late. Lex has caught up to her, and his final plan to kill Superman is set into motion.

Lex reveals his diabolical plot to a journalist who had already figured it out.

Clark and Lois’s investigations were central to the plot of BvS. Although she didn’t get to write the story before Superman sacrificed his life for the world, Lois Lane’s investigative instincts would have lead to his vindication. The film showcased their talent as journalists, and their common goal of finding the truth, no matter where it may lead.

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About Joseph Hamrick

I write at www.articleasylum.wordpress.com and www.allthingsnew.wordpress.com. You can follow me on Twitter @HB_Jhamrick.
I enjoy reading and attempting to write stories I find interesting that provoke thoughtfulness and introspection. I often achieve that in my reading - rarely in my writing. I am a Christian, so most of my writing and thinking comes from a theological perspective. I love contemplating on the moral, philosophical, and theological aspects of what I read and watch. I am also a Tolkien fan who thinks his works are the pinnacle of High Fantasy literature. And I am of the opinion that the six film Middle Earth saga reigns supreme as the best pieces of filmmaking in cinema history.

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